STARLIMS Expands Global Customer Service and Support

STARLIMS, a leading global LIMS provider, has developed a new global customer service organization and is expanding in Europe through recent acquisitions of distributors serving various markets. Becoming part of Abbott in 2010 has given STARLIMS new resources for business expansion, customer service, new product development and international expansion.

“We are using resources from Abbott to drive a new and overdue initiative to get closer to our customers, learn more about how they are using our products, and measure their satisfaction,” reported Clive Baron, general manager, STARLIMS. “Comments from customers have been very favorable, as they are noticing we are communicating with them in different ways,” he said.

Baron said STARLIMS conducted customer surveys in 2010 and 2011, and they are part of an expansive program to get closer to customers by learning more about their overall experience and level of satisfaction. Three hundred fifty STARLIMS customers responded to the surveys. They expressed strong satisfaction with the expertise of STARLIMS developers, noted that more resources should be allocated for documentation, and recommended that adding personnel with industry-specific experience and expertise would be helpful.

“What we learned is that merging product-centric expertise with vertical industry knowledge has allowed STARLIMS to become better aligned with industry-specific priorities and best practices,” said Baron. “So to better serve the fast growing LIMS forensics market, STARLIMS has recruited a team led by a former crime lab scientist. We also have brought in product managers with strong industry expertise in other key verticals, such as manufacturing quality assurance, public health and clinical research.”

The survey results also showed the need to enhance ongoing customer communications and help desk support. Baron added that this global customer support function now has nine call centers and 30 staff. STARLIMS has developed a new MySTARLIMS customer support portal to open tickets and track the progress of their requests.

“STARLIMS will continue to make significant investments in infrastructure and people devoted to customer experience management to help build stronger client partnerships that are sustainable over time,” said Baron.

Acquisitions in Europe Announced On March 2, Abbott announced that STARLIMS acquired several longtime distribution partners. They are: Varilab in France, two privately held businesses in Spain operating as STARLIMS Iberia, a private Dutch company operating as STARLIMS Netherlands with a branch in Sweden, and its distribution partner in Israel called STARLIMS Israel, Ltd.

In Germany, STARLIMS formed a new entity called STARLIMS GmbH, based in Witten, to provide direct support to German, Austrian and Swiss customers.

“The successful completion of these transactions represents Abbott’s commitment to invest in and accelerate the growth of STARLIMS’s core business,” said Baron. “With these acquisitions, we now have more than 100 experienced LIMS engineers in the region allowing us to better serve our fast-growing European customer base and further strengthen our position as a leading provider of laboratory information management systems in Europe and other important markets.”

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